OCR Text

Lethbridge Herald, The (Newspaper) - November 24, 1970, Lethbridge, Alberta
COLDER Forecast high Tuesday near zero The Let it bridge Herald VOL. LXIII No. 290 LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1970 PRICE NOT OVER 10 CENTS TWO SECTIONS 20 PAGES Police force bungling hot issne By DAVE McJNTOSH OTTAWA (CP) Parliament's patience with the police operations in the Cross-Laporte case is growing thinner by tlie day. The questioning of the work of the Royal Canadian Mounted least GOO are working on the and of the Quebec provincial and Montreal police forces began mildly enough in the Commons Oct. 21. At that time, George Bees, Conservative MP for Prince Edward-Hastings, noted the kidnappers of Que- bec Labor Minister Pierre Laporte had used the .same green car with the same licence plates to abduct him and a week later to transport his body to St. Hubert airport. Since then, criticism of the police by all political parties has grown. It has been the unenviable job of Solicitor-General George McHraith to try to defend them. He didn't even try last week when It was learned it had taken the Quebec and Montreal police three days to inform the RCMP that three men wanted for kidnapping had escaped after hiding in a closet of an apartment where one suspect was arrested. Mr. McHraith said he just could not account (or the delay. BIdon Woolliams, Conservative spokesman on jus- tice matters, vainly sought an independent investiga- tion into tie police work and David MacDonald, Con- servative MP for Egtnont, lias described police ''inef- fectiveness" as alarming. Got wrong house Former prime minister John Diefenbaker said Nov. 16 that the police with "particular cunning and ability" had found the Montreal home of State Secretary Gerard Pelletier when they were looking for another Gerard Peltetier. lie proposed "appropriate decorations" for the nearsighted police who had missed the three suspects hidden in the.apartment closet. Prime Minister JKndeau first joined the criticism Oct. 27 when lie said pointedly the country had had confidence in the RCMP "in the past." On Nov. 10, Mr. Hees said the greatest peacetime manhunt in Canadian history, backed by the widest possible police powers, had been unable to find the kid- nappers. Mr. Trudeau said Mr. Hees's comment was "well taken." He added that the government would 117 to find "some way to have a more efficient police force which would perhaps in the future dispense with the need to have recourse to such extraordinary measures as the War Measures Act." Two days later, lie toned this down by saying the police had not been as well trained to be anti-terrorists "as we with hindsight might desire." Opposition Leader Robert Stanfield has several times, beginning Oct. 23, asked the government to ex- plain the police's "lack of success." Andrew Bravin, New Democrat MP for Toronto Greenwood, has criticized the police for photographing and fingerprinting persons who were arrested but never charged. Terrence Murphy, Liberal MP for Sault Ste. Marie, suggested Oct. 2V tlial a special civilian security force be created. More French recruits Mr. Murphy two days later asked that more French speaking Canadians be recruited into the BCMP, David Orlikow, New Democrat MP for Winnipeg North, complained that the RCMP was censoring uni- versity student newspapers. Mr. MeHraith denied it. Mr. Slanfieki said Nov. 2 that wanted Paul Hose was under police surveillance at one time but not arrested although his fingerprints had been found on an FLQ communique. Gerard Laprise, Creditiste MP for Abitibi, suggest- ed that Ottawa call to Scotland Yard and the O.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation for help. Mr. Mcllraith said at one point that "effective police work is being done by all the responsible author- ities." A few days later came the closest escape. On Nov. -I, Justice Minister John Turner blamed delays in finding the kidnappers on a lack of skilled interrogators. T. C. Douglas, New Democrat leader, said there was evidence some persons detained had been physic- ally mistreated. On Nov. 17 and 18, Roland Godin, Creditiste MP for Portneuf, brought the Commons' attention to re- ports that tape recordings by Michel Chartrand and Robert Lcmieux, both charged with seditious conspir- acy, had been smuggled out of jail "under the noses of the guards." This and the throe-day delay in (.be HCMP learn- ing about the closel. escape prompted a dcinaud by is f'M' an inw.si igatinti into "this The starving can't wait HUNGRY PAKISTANI SNATCHES FOOD From HEUTER-AP DACCA (CP) Relief sup- plies today were finally getting through to the worst ravaged areas of East Pakistan where a U.S. helicopter pilot radioed a dramatic account of starving survivors begging for food on their knees. The helicopter was one of two U.S. Hueys which brought the first relief supplies Monday to the so-called Charlands, mud- covered remnants of reclaimed land which bore the brunt of the tidal wave disaster 11 days ago. "We've got people running to- ward us from as far as the eye can the unidentified pilot radioed from the Ganges Delta. "We've got men and women on their knees begging for assist- ance." The two helicopters unloaded 10-pound packages of molasses, rice, salt and des- perately needed by the survi- vors near Noakhali, 85 miles south of Dacca. The supplies were getting through as East Pakistan politi- cal leaders condemned what they called the Pakistan govern- ment's gross neglect following the disaster. DENOUNCE GOVERNMENT A statement issued hi the name of 11 East Pakistan politi- cal leaders denounced "the gov- ernment's gross neglect, callous inattention and utter indiffer- ence" to the disaster. The latest official death toll stands at the final figure could be twice as high in one of the world's worst natural catastrophes. Correspondents in an aircraft accompanying the two helicop- ters Monday saw no sign of life over vast areas of the Char- lands. Elsewhere, frantically waving figures ran toward the relief craft from the ruins of their battered homes. Bodies still lay on a beach facing the reclaimed land. REBUILDING STARTED Attempts a t reconstruction could clearly be seen, however, with people -clearing roads and removing uprooted trees. American Ambassador Joseph Farland, who accompanied the helicopter relief Operation, told reporters it appeared that at least half of the rice harvest in the area was destroyed. Starving Pakistanis couldn't wait when Farland handed out relief packets. In (he bedlam, two refugees were slashed by rotating heli- copter blades, another was hurt in a battle for rice sacks and Farland retreated into a heli- copter to escape the mob. SOME WON'T EAT Starving survivors of the Esst Pakistan disaster won't eat relief supplies of canned chicken, the first Caifuian pilot into the area said Mon- day. Capt. Fran White, who flew a load of emergency supplies to Dacca, Friday in a Canadian Forces Boeing 707, said the Pakistanis cannot read English1 labels snd think the tins con- tain pork, which is proscribed by their religion. Lethbridge is one of the most thriv- ing cities in Canada, according to figures in the Nov. 21 issue of The Financial Post. Housing starts for July, compared mill July 1969, were up 50 per cent in Lethbridge. AH other cities west of Uie Great Lakes showed declines ranging from 22 to 96 per cent, and averaging 56 per cent down for 15 cities. The Cana- dian average was down 37 per cent. Lethbridge was up 221 per cent in thrives building permits. All other western cities but Calgary were down. Canada was up 11 per cent. Lethbridge employment held even but wages increased 13.2 per cent to an average of ?109 per week. The increase compared with a Western average of six per cent, and a national average of 7.4 per cent. The new wage level of f 109 is close to the prairie average o! but well below the national level of Nixon threatens to get tough WASHINGTON (Hauler) President Nixon has hting the threat of strong action over the heads of North Vietnamese leaders in Hanoi if they dare to take reprisals against tl.S. pris- oners-of-war in retaliation for an American rescue attempt Saturday that failed. Defence Secretary Melvin Laird told a Pentagon news con- ference Monday night how U.S. helicopter assault troops pene- trated to the Son Tay prison compound deep inside North Vietnam early Saturday, then left an hour later without find- ing any American prisoners. Laird said the daring opera- tion was'launched on his recom- mendation and had the personal approval of the president. Presidential Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler said that if any harm came to American PoWs as a result of the raid, Presi- dent Nixon would consider it a wilful act on the part of North Vietnam's leaders, and would hold them personally responsi- ble. Laird's startling disclosure ot the raid Was greeted by many Americans as a swashbuckling feat in the best tradition of their fighting men. But for many otters, it and the so-called weekend retalia- tory raids by 250 American planes against targets in North Vietnam provided evidence that Nixon had reverted to a hard line because of Hanoi's refusal to respond positively to recent peace overtures. Both actions stirred new fears among Senate doves, who said they threatened to widen the In- dochina war. The raids also cast doubts on Nixon's assertion that he is trying to slow down the conflict in Vietnam. Laird said today the rescue attempt did not represent any change of U.S. policy in conducting the war. 'Don't losk! We ma.v lie tempted to bay something toe can't afford.' Weathermen GM raises baffled by it all Weathermen are talking to themselves. To each other. To computers. And they're all baf- fled. T H i s morning computers were in major disagreement on what was going to happen Storms that were coming suddenly disappeared. The ex- pected drizzle fizzled. Temperatures Monday morn- ing were in the teens. A Chi- nook crept in. A high of 45 was reached Monday. Overnight low of 34 was reached at 8 o'clock this morn- ing. The five inches of snow on the ground Monday dwindled to one inch tin's morning. Forecast today, subject to change without notice, was for light snow this evening with temperatures in the 10 above area. Wednesday's outlook is for colder temperatures with a high of 10-15 above and a few snow-flurries. car prices DETROIT (AP) General Motors Corp., getting back into operation after a 10-week strike, announced Monday it is raising the suggested retail prices of its 1971 models an av- erage of effective im- mediately. The increase followed a price hike of 5139 announced in Sep- tember. Appointment of MacEwan almost sure EDMONTON (CP) The Journal says Grant MacEwan is considered almost certain to be reappointed lieutenant-gov- ernor when his four year term expires Jan. 8. The newspaper says that Mr. MacEwan, 68, is understood to have indicated he is prepared to serve again and that Pre- mier Harry Strom is believed to have mentioned his nante to the federal government during a recent trip to Ottawa. Mr. MacEwan, a former alderman mayor of Cal- gary, was elected to the legis- lature in 1955 and became lead- er of the Alberta Liberals in 1958. He was sworn hi as Lieuten- ant Governor on Jan. 6, 1966. Troop pullout date May 1 OTTAWA (CP) Target date for completion of the United States withdrawal ixoni a com- bat role in Vietnam is next May .1, U.S. State Secretary William Rogers told Canadian ministers at a closed conference here. Sources at the two-day annual meeting of U.S. and Canadian cabinet members said Mr. Rog- ers named the date during dis-- cussion of international affairs Monday. Answering s question by Ca- nadian External Affairs Minis- ter Mitchell Sharp about U.S. policy in Vietnam, Mr. Rogers repeated previous statements in Washington by Defence Secre- tary Melvin Laird that last week's U.S. air strikes against North Vietnam were a one-time action. The secretary of stale then added that U.S. forces would be out of the combat role in Viet- nam by May I. Watched TV after Laporte MONTREAL (CP) A 42- year-old suburban'housewife said today kidnap suspect Paul Rose came to her Longueuil house and watched television tlu-ce days after Pierre Laporte was abducted from in front bis home. Theresa Venue, nn attractive small brunette, was testifying nn Ihc. fiflh day of an inquest into llio death o[ the Quebec labor minister, who was kid- napped Oct. .10 and whose stran- gled body was found in an aban- doned car trunk Oct. 18. She said Paul Bose came to her Longueuil house around 1 p.m. Oct. 13. She was surprised because she had not seen him for a long time. Mrs. Vonne said Hose had .shaved off his heard anrf was w c 11 -g r o o m e